Cold Air and Sunshine

Cold air and sunshine
blue skies banish loneliness
peace and strength are mine.

The Gettysburg Battlefield in Winter (part 2)

Where I continue the photographs from a winter photo shoot on the Gettysburg Battlefield...

Many of the photos were taken along "Cemetery Ridge".  I may not have my historical facts exact here so if you are a history buff and I screw this up, please let me know (kindly) in the comments.  

The culmination of the Battle of Gettysburg is known as "Picket's Last Charge".  The two sides faced each other across huge fields.  The lines of infantrymen and cannons ran parallel to each other.  (The whole thing reminds me of some terrible version of Red-Rover on a grand and sadistic scale.)  The Union Army was along a ridge to the east (now "Cemetery Ridge" and littered with monuments and memorials) while the Rebel Forces were in a line to the west with the woods as cover.  Picket and his men charged across the fields between the two armies.  We're talking a sea of bodies coming up out of the woods and across the wide expanse of fields like a human wave.  

Because the Union Army controlled the higher ground they had the tactical advantage.  They mowed the Southern Forces down with cannon shot and gun shot.  And yet, they just kept coming until there were no more to charge.  This battlefield was literally a blood soaked, body strewn mess when the smoke cleared.  I don't know the total number of casualties for that battle only to say that it was in the tens of thousands.  I can't wrap my brain or my soul around carnage on a small scale, never mind something like this. 

I hope these photographs convey even a small part of the feelings this place gives me.  Thanks for looking.

I think 17 years was too long to go between visits to this sad, beautiful place.  I think I'll make plans to come back in the spring.

The Gettysburg Battlefield in Winter (part 1)

After visiting The Mannings yesterday (blog post here) I realized that I was only 14 miles from Gettysburg.  The trip to The Mannings hadn't taken as long as I had thought it would, I hadn't been to the battlefield in forever (at least 17 years), and I had never been there in the winter.  So, instead of heading north on PA Route 15 to come home, I went south.

I found the new Visitor Center easy enough.  It is a beautiful building.  But, I was only there long enough to take this picture of the sign at the entrance and grab a map.

I've been to the Gettysburg Battlefield once in the spring and a handful of times in the summer.  Never in fall or winter.  I am not a history buff, a war buff, or a lover of anything military related (although I DO love a man in uniform but that's different). I can't really explain (nor do I have any desire to do so as they are private) my beliefs or lack thereof when it comes to religion, spirituality, ghosts, or similar topics.  

I CAN tell you that the Battle of Gettysburg occurred over the 4th of July weekend.  So, being here in the summer is more appropriate if you want to get the 'feel' of what this place would have been like (the weather, the terrain, and so on).  I can also tell you that I personally experience a very 'heavy' or somber feeling every time I am there.  I have experienced such feelings of sadness every time I have visited.  The words needed to accurately describe this place, these feelings are not in my vocabulary.  Sadness doesn't do this place justice.  

There is a somber, aching beauty here.  The sense of history, of terrible sacrifice is almost palpable.  It's one of those places that causes me to pause and reflect.  For that reason, I am not going to comment on each of the photos.  I do not know who or what most of the monuments are dedicated to.  Personally, I don't care.  Whether a statue is specifically for a particular General or Regiment or act of bravery doesn't make any difference in the total that is Gettysburg.

The Gettysburg Battlefield in winter is all that with another layer of coldness on top.  

This is the central part of the main monument for the State of New York.

The Pennsylvania Monument.  The largest on the battlefield.

Because there are so many photographs that I wanted to share, I have split this post into two parts.  Part two will be up shortly.